Contents

With the recent arrival of dual-band wireless access points and routers, it was only a matter of time before we'd see dual-band "combo" wireless adapters. These PC Card adapters work both in the 2.4-GHz band (802.11b) as well as the 5-GHz band (802.11a) and offer several advantages over having individual NICs for the two wireless bands.

For starters, a dual-band card takes up only one slot. You can also connect to a wireless network on either band without changing cards, which makes them ideal for companies that have installed 802.11b but are migrating to the faster 802.11a (or for employees that need 802.11a at work but use 802.11b at home and on the road). Best of all, you can save $30 to $50 over buying individual cards.

The adapters we tested from Netgear, Proxim, and SMC Networks all use the Atheros dual-band chip set. Each card is supplied with a client that provides improved configuration options when compared with Windows XP's default wireless setup. And each card supports an automatic mode that can switch between 802.11a and 802.11b access points on the fly. The real differentiators are the client utility's features, as well as the range and throughput of the network card in each mode.

Our test environment consisted of an office and an 80-foot hallway connected to a second hallway. We tested each card's throughput using NetIQ Chariot software and a Linksys dual-band access point (WAP51ab). We started with the notebook 5 feet away from the access point and increased the distance until the tests failed to run or we reached the end of our test facility. We ran multiple tests at each distance; the throughput on the chart is the average of the best three results.

Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
annual subscription rate(s). You may cancel at any time during your subscription and receive a full refund on all
unsent issues. If your credit/debit card or other billing method can not be charged, we will bill you directly instead. Contact Customer Service